Grand jury: Officers acted accordingly in Troy shootout

By Will Sanders

February 19, 2014

By Will E Sanders

wsanders@civitasmedia.com

TROY — Three Troy police officers and a Miami County Sheriff’s deputy acted accordingly and committed no wrongdoing in the Dec. 29 fatal shootout with an armed suspect, a Miami County grand jury has ruled.

Miami County Prosecutor Tony Kendell announced the decision of the grand jury Tuesday after filing appropriate legal documents to make the decision known to the public involving the shootout between the authorities and Franklin Jones III, 30, of Troy.

Kendell said the grand jury did not find any faults with how the police officers responded and acted in accordance with their protocol and oath of service.

“Whenever we have a shooting like this my position is to take it to the grand jury to ensure to the people that it is scrutinized to make sure everybody did what they were suppose to do,” Kendell said.

The county prosecutor took the case to the grand jury Friday after an investigator from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations thoroughly looked into the fatal shooting of Jones.

Jones was shot and killed along Monroe Street by members of law enforcement after he got into a dispute with another Troy man that Jones shot. That victim later recovered from the wounds.

Troy Police Department Sgt. Jeff Kunkleman was shot through the calf during the incident. The following officers were involved in the shooting incident: Sgt. Jeff Kunkleman; Patrolman Jesse Canan; Patrolman Jared Cole and Miami County Sheriff’s Deputy Will Roberts.

All four members of law enforcement were placed on paid administrative leave while the shooting was investigated, and all four have been cleared to return to work.

On Dec. 29, Jones was shot and killed when officers responded to the area of Monroe Street after a 24-year-old man was allegedly wounded by Jones in a domestic dispute. Police confronted Jones in an alley where gunfire was exchanged and Jones was killed.

The shooting was the second police-officer involved shooting that resulted in a death in Troy last year. Last August, Al Pickett, 52, of Troy, was fatally shot by Troy police officers in the 500 block of Staunton Commons Drive after the suspect repeatedly stabbed a woman, who survived the attack.

In that shooting, Troy officers Matt Mosier and Zach Mumford were also placed on paid administrative leave while the shooting was investigated. It was later found those officers acted accordingly.

Kendell said it was both “unusual and unfortunate” that the city of Troy had two officer-involved shootings in the span of four months.

“I attribute that mostly to drugs, particularly heroin, that is hitting the streets and hitting them hard,” Kendell said.

Will E Sanders may be reached at 773-2721 or on Twitter @TheDailyCall.